With the Lakers' adjusted defensive scheme paying the dividends already that the coaches hoped for by playoff time, Phil Jackson offered a clearer picture Monday of what is different in the new defense that showcases Andrew Bynum as the defensive stopper and prime rebounder.

For one thing, Jackson sees the Zen angle in which the stale and long regular season has been spiced up by the Lakers having something new to digest.

"That has given us really a second wind," Jackson said. "As far as the team goes, they're learning -- and because they're learning, they have kind of a learner's mentality (and) beginner's mind, which is really important."

Regarding the logistics of the defense, Jackson said assistant coach Chuck Person in late December took what his predecessor Kurt Rambis did with zone-based principles of defense and went further with it in not asking the Lakers' big men to come out so far to the perimeter and thus be unable to recover back inside. Person said he saw first-hand in Indiana how Jermaine O'Neal did it and also how in San Antonio how Tim Duncan and David Robinson did it.

"Andrew fits the mold," said Person, who added: "We know this system is proven to get stops."

Do we really need confirmation from Rose that he pitched to the NBA's first- or second-best player that he should sign as a free agent with the Bulls? The news here would have been if Rose told James to blow off and sign somewhere else.

And one player reaching out to another player hardly is the kind of collusion some are suggesting is destroying the NBA.

Enough of this silliness. Let's get back to the crazy tweets of Ron Artest and his equally crazy brother, Daniel.

The Clippers are in action as part of a six-game NBA schedule, finally returning home to take on the Boston Celtics. Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose are among the stars who will be in action, but be careful -- the player database does not yet reflect the recent trades of Deron Williams and Baron Davis.

I'm back after my two-week, post-Super Bowl vacation, and rejoining Kevin Ding as a Register "expert."

Remember, if you enter our contest through your ocregister.fanduel.com account, and you finish ahead of both of us, you'll get your entry fee back. Thanks to Keith Sharon for filling in for me the past two weeks.

Bryant said his favorite part of the weekend was "being with the fellas," but said it sunk in to him how he has seen one era come in when guys such as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were new ... and now he is still hanging out at the elite level with Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Durant having emerged.

"It's pretty cool for me to see," Bryant said.

Bryant also mentioned Westbrook's post-up fadeaway jumper from the right elbow in the All-Star game.

"It was clear where he got that from," Bryant said. "It's pretty cool, because I got it from M.J. (Michael Jordan)."

February 20th, 2011, 11:59 pm by DAN WOIKE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

During Sunday's game, a few fans at the game began to chant “M-V-P, M-V-P,” but instead of being directed at Bryant, the chant began when the Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose was at the free-throw line.

Rose's play in the first half of the season is the major reason the Chicago Bulls are starting to be mentioned in the same breath as the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat in terms of the Eastern Conference hierarchy. Rose is averaging just less than 25 points a game with 8.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds. Sunday, he became the first Chicago Bull to start in the All-Star Game since Michael Jordan. In Sunday's game, Rose finished with 11 points and five assists.

Still, Rose isn't necessarily comfortable with all the attention his game brings.

“I'm not used to it yet. It still all feels so new,” Rose said. “I'm not taking any of it for granted. I'm a hooper, but being famous, I'm just not used to it.”

LOS ANGELES -- Ron Artest has stepped into a clear role as the Lakers' perimeter defensive stopper, but he didn't guard Chicago point guard Derrick Rose very much early on Tuesday night.

The Lakers changed that at halftime.

Phil Jackson said before the game that it could get complicated with the cross-matching for Artest to try and locate Rose if Rose wasn't defending Artest. With Rose's speed -- Jackson said Rose could be the quickest player in the NBA with the ball -- it figured to be hard for Artest to stay in front of Rose.

But after Rose had 16 points and seven assists in the first half against Derek Fisher and a Lakers team defense heavily tilted toward Rose, Jackson started the second half with Artest guarding Rose.

The results were stark: an 8-0 run to start the half for the Lakers with the Chicago offense much slower to get into play development.